Reinforcing stanchion

[Hayden Watson]

My aft cleat is under the pulpit where the useless sugar scoop starts. 6ish feet works well for a springline connected to the midship cleat. If I'm solo docking I'll put two loops in the line - one for the dock cleat and one for my boat hook. It's easier to handle and I'm less likely to have a boat hook try to harpoon me. If I do a single loop, the boat hook ends up an odd downward angle and is likely to get stuck between the line and dock cleat while me and the boat are still moving forward

I tried to use my midship cleat for docking but if it needed to stop the boat at all, it would spin the bow into the dock and kick the stern so far that I was worried about hitting the boat next to me. The advantage of using the winch is that it will stop the boat in a completely straight line. It does not turn the bow to port or starboard.

 

[Hayden Watson]

Here is the post I shared

Winter Cruising Question

BTW, there’s a new pub, the Gateway Taphouse and Grill, that opened on Peace Portal Drive there in Blaine in December. Great spot; I visited it recently on their opening weekend. Make a nice “weekend” to come to Blaine, visit the pub for lunch (winter service) and/or other nice spots, load the...

forums.sailboatowners.com

And here is a link to the video.

Yep, that is the one I remembered. If you do not have a cleat where you need it, you can also just turn it around a stanchion, winch or any other fixed point that has reasonable strength.

 

[Tally Ho]

I never thought of using cabintop winches. I'm curious if dodgers or stanchions get in the way

Good questions…

A dodger probably would block access to the cabin top winch.

On Tally Ho, I drop the 2 lifelines on the docking side, and that allows the loop to run back from the winch to the dock cleat.

It depends on where your stanchions are and if you can get a fair line to the cleat.

Greg

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I tried to use my midship cleat for docking but if it needed to stop the boat at all, it would spin the bow into the dock and kick the stern so far that I was worried about hitting the boat next to me. The advantage of using the winch is that it will stop the boat in a completely straight line. It does not turn the bow to port or starboard.

I dock on the starboard side. When the boat reaches the end of the spring line, the bow goes to port, then bounces back to starboard. This makes it easy to get the bow lines on the cleats

 

[Joe]

Regarding the original gate stanchion problem: My original short term solution was to install a grab line that was convenient and obvious to the boarding or departing guest what it was for. The line was tethered between a cabin winch or cleat and the lifeline gate stanchion. Instead of the load being carried by the stanchion it was shifted to the boat's cabin top. What made it work was the tendency for people to grab a bannister rail rather than the bannister post because it is more comfortable in the hand. The top of a short stainless pole or a skinny wire appear far less stable or secure than a 7/16 or 1/2 inch rope tied directly to the boat. I rigged the line with a shackle on one end that fits the eye where the gate's pelican hook attaches. The other end was a loop that dropped neatly over the cabin top winch. Since I would be the first on and last off the boat, I could quickly clip the outboard end to the stanchion, showing the guests what it was for. I left the device on the winch when leaving, ready for the next arrival. While sailing the little rope was kept in the coaming box. Years later I installed new stanchions and lifelines, with a braced gate stanchion... but I still kept the device in the box, if I ever needed it.... It actually came in handy for dinghy boarding by attaching it to another fixture.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

For now, I rebedded it and added a G10 Backing plate. I'm really starting to like G10. It's super strong yet easy to cut

@Hayden Watson You were absolutely correct about those 1/4" screws. They were through bolted and very difficult to reinstall with the wiring on top of them. I found a scotchlock connector that was half embedded in some sort of epoxy or adhesive. Not sure if that was from the factory or not. Would you be willing to share the STL file for your little wrench?

Regarding the original gate stanchion problem: My original short term solution was to install a grab line that was convenient and obvious to the boarding or departing guest what it was for. The line was tethered between a cabin winch or cleat and the lifeline gate stanchion. Instead of the load being carried by the stanchion it was shifted to the boat's cabin top. What made it work was the tendency for people to grab a bannister rail rather than the bannister post because it is more comfortable in the hand. The top of a short stainless pole or a skinny wire appear far less stable or secure than a 7/16 or 1/2 inch rope tied directly to the boat. I rigged the line with a shackle on one end that fits the eye where the gate's pelican hook attaches. The other end was a loop that dropped neatly over the cabin top winch. Since I would be the first on and last off the boat, I could quickly clip the outboard end to the stanchion, showing the guests what it was for. I left the device on the winch when leaving, ready for the next arrival. While sailing the little rope was kept in the coaming box. Years later I installed new stanchions and lifelines, with a braced gate stanchion... but I still kept the device in the box, if I ever needed it.... It actually came in handy for dinghy boarding by attaching it to another fixture.